This invention relates generally to wall bases used along the base of a wall to protect the lowermost part of the wall adjacent the wall-floor intersection, and for decorative purposes. More particularly, this invention relates to a wall base which is easier to mount and which more tenaciously adheres to vertical wall surfaces as compared to conventional bases.
Flooring wall bases are commonly provided by lengths of relatively rigid materials (e.g. wood or hard plastic) or flexible materials (e.g. flexible plastic, rubber, or strips of carpet) having widths of from about 3 to about 6 inches, most typically from about 3xc2xd to about 5 inches. Such flooring bases are typically attached along the lowermost portions of a vertical wall adjacent the wall-floor intersection using fasteners such as nails or staples or an adhesive applied between the base and wall.
As will be appreciated, the use of fasteners to secure flooring bases is undesirable in that installation of the base using fasteners is very laborious and time consuming, the fasteners cause damage to the wall and the fasteners often remain visible and detract from tile appearance of the base requiring cosmetic measures to hide them from view. Conventional adhesive techniques for installing wall bases are also undesirable in that application of adhesive to the base is time consuming and messy and does not provide a reliable securement of the base. Attempts have been made to use adhesive tape, but with only limited success. Prior efforts with adhesive tape have resulted in generally poor adhesion and the bases tend to separate from the wall after a time.
Accordingly it is an object of tile present invention to provide an improved wall base and an improved method of installing a wall base.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a wall base which offers improved adherence to vertical wall surfaces.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a wall base of the character of the character described which is uncomplicated in construction and is economical to make, use and install.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved method for manufacturing a wall base which is readily installable as made.
With regard to the foregoing and other objects, the present invention is directed to a wall base construction which includes an elongate wall base member having generally planar front and back surfaces and a plurality of elongate laterally spaced apart adhesive members secured to the back surface disposed generally parallel to and along the length of the base member for securing the base member to the wall. The base member has a relatively wide, thin configuration with substantially linear elongate side edges. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive members comprise a pair of elongate substantially parallel spaced apart strips of adhesive. One of the strips is positioned closely adjacent one of the side edges running generally continuously along the length thereof. The other strip is spaced laterally inwardly from the other side edge of the base member and from the strip positioned closely adjacent one of the side edges.
According to one aspect of the invention, the wall base member is an elongate strip of carpet having parallel side edges running along its length. A lower side edge is positionable along a wall/floor intersection. An upper side edge is finished in any suitable manner such as by binding for placement against the wall surface spaced vertically above the intersection and observable by viewers in the area. The carpet strip may have a relatively stiff backing onto which are applied a plurality of laterally spaced apart elongate adhesive elements disposed along the length of the carpet strip. Preferably, two such elements are used and include a first continuous adhesive strip on the backing closely adjacent the upper edge and a second continuous strip spaced from the lower side edge. Preferably a release liner is provided over the first and second adhesive strips.
An important aspect of the invention is the use of multiple strips of adhesive and the spaced apart relationship of the strips. It has been found, quite surprisingly, that the use of multiple strips of spaced apart adhesive provides superior adhesion on a carpet wall base as compared to a single strip of adhesive tape having a size that is the same or greater than the aggregate size of the multiple strips of tape. As an example, it has been found that use of two 1-inch tapes spaced apart on a 4 inch wide carpet wall base in accordance with the invention provides superior results as compared to a single strip of tape having a width of 2 inches or greater.